Congress MLAs Refuse To Vacate Punjab Assembly Complex

Chandigarh: Punjab Congress MLAs on Tuesday refused to vacate the Assembly even after spending the night in the House and stuck to their demand of a debate on the no-confidence motion moved by the party against the state government.

The protesting MLAs refused to accept the appeal of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who reached the spot in the afternoon, to call off their protest. As many as 26 Congress MLAs have been protesting against the decision of the Speaker not allowing a debate on the no-confidence motion which was defeated by a voice vote yesterday.

Earlier in the day, a heated exchange took place between the security personnel and the MLAs, including Amarinder Raja Warring and Sukhjinder Randhawa, after the police stopped their colleagues from entering the Assembly complex. Despite the security personnel restricting the entry, Warring and Randhawa managed to bring two MLAs, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and Balbir Singh Sidhu, into the Assembly complex.

Senior leaders Ambika Soni, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Lal Singh and Raj Kumar Verka were among those not allowed entry into the House and they were sitting outside the Assembly. Bhattal alleged that not allowing the Congress MLAs to enter the House amounted to "murder of democracy" and asserted that they will take the fight to the streets.

Several MLAs, including Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Lal Singh, Raj Kumar Verka, Kewal Dhillon and Bram Mohindra, staged a protest outside the Assembly complex and some Congress members even burnt an effigy of the SAD-BJP government. Security personnel put up barricades on the road leading to the Assembly to stop the entry of the MLAs and the media.

Restrictions were imposed on the entry to the Assembly. In a letter, written by Punjab Assembly Secretariat to the DIG (Security), it was mentioned, "Today being a holiday and due to maintenance and security related matters of the Punjab Assembly and its premises, no person except the Assembly staff and security is allowed to enter the premises without the permission of Speaker."

Speaking to the media, Lal Singh said they were being treated like "terrorists", wondering how could MLAs be stopped from entering the Assembly. Meanwhile, the 26 MLAs continued with their protest inside the Assembly by wearing aprons with the following words written on them--'Punjab da cancer--Badal Parivar' (Punjab's cancer -- the Badal family). Subsequently, the Chief Minister reached the Assembly and appealed to the protesting MLAs to vacate the House.